Can closing machine



Jupe23, 1942. N, PQ H I j 2,287,016

CAN CLOS ING MACHINE Filed May 17, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Me. 0? M ATTORNEY June 23, 1942. N. P. BACH CAN CLOSING MACHINE Filed May 17, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR M 0 BYQVM 1Q.

ATTORNEY June 23, 1942. N. P. BACH CAN CLOSING MACHINE Filed May 17, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR m @M SAM 9.

ATTORNEYS Patented June 23, 1942 H I g 2,287,016

CAN CLOSING MACHINE Neils P. Bach, Geneva, N. Y., assignor to American Gan Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 17, 1939, scin no. 27 ,254 6 Claims. (01. us -1 4) The present invention relates to can closin machines and the like and has particular reference to a movable centering ring for bringing a can and a cover into proper position for sealing.

An object of the invention is the provision of a movable centering ring for a can closing machine wherein a can cover is properly centered over a moving can and assembled therewith prior to coming to rest with the can at the sealing station of the machine so that spilling of the can contents, as incidental to high speed handling of the can, will be to a great extent, minimized, if not completely prevented.

Another object is the provision of such a centering ring wherein the ring carries a cover to an incoming can to be sealed and moves back with the can holding the cover in superimposed position relative thereto so that it may be positioned on the can before it stops at the closing station for sealing.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a composite sectional and elevational view of a portion of a can closing ma-- chine embodying the instant invention, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the broken line 22 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken substantially along the broken line 33 in Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sectional details of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 3 and illustrating the moving parts, and a can being operated upon, in different positions.

As a preferred'embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate the principal parts of a can closing'machine of the character disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,429,231, is-

sued September 19, 1922, to P. W. Fleischer, on

Can closing machine. In such a machine filled cans A adapted'to be sealed with covers B are propelled in a straight line path of travel through the machine, stopping only at a sealing station C for the closing or sealing operation. 7

At the sealing station a cover B is fed into position above the can and both can and cover are raised vertically into a sealing head D by actuation of a lifter device E. While in the head the cover is united with the can preferably by an interfolding of flange parts on the cover and on the can. 7

In the instant machine a can cover B is first fed forward from a stack of such covers and meets a can coming into the sealing station. Thereupon it travels back with and above the can in superimposed relation. Before the can comes into vertical alignment with the sealing head D at the sealing station it begins to rise toward the cover and in so doing picks up the cover before it abruptly comes to rest in alignment with the sealing head. After the can picks up its cover,

the latter is held tightly against displacement until canand cover are received in the sealing head. Thus spilling of the can contents is minimized to a great extent and this permits high speed handling with attendant abrupt stopping of the can at the sealing station.

Cans A entering the machine are received on a table I I (Figs. 1 and 3) formed as apart of the machinef-rame. The cans are propelled longitudinally thereof, i. e., toward the right in Fig. 3, by a continuously moving endless chain conveyor l2 passing along a slot I3, formed in the table. The conveyor is operated in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine, preferably as disclosed in the Fleischer patent. j The conveyor is provided with short and long feed dogs 14, I5, respectively, which push the cans along between spaced and parallel guide rails I6 secured to the top of the table. The short feed dogs propel the incoming cans while the long feed dogs l5 engage and discharge the sealed outgoing cans as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

Incoming cans A moving along the table are received on thelifter device E hereinbefore mentioned. This lifter device includes a lifter pad 2| which is disposed in an opening 22 formed in the table. The top surface of the pad is normally flush with the top of the table. The pad is secured to the upper end of a rod 23 carried in a bearing 24 formed in the main frame of the machine. This rod is raised and lowered in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine. A clearance slot 25 is provided in the lifter pad for the chain conveyor l 2.

The can is pushed onto the lifter pad 2| by a short feed dog M and before the can is fully on the pad the latter begins to rise toward the sealing head D located just above and in vertical alignment therewith. As the pad continues to rise, the dog I4 continues to push the can into a more centralized position thereon. By the time the can is in a central position, where it' is in alignment with the sealing head D, the pad has lifted sufficiently to permit the short dog to pass under the can and out of engagement therewith. It is during this raising of the can that a cover B is brought into superimposed position relative thereto as will now be described.

The covers B are preferably fed individually from a stack of such covers retained in a magazine 3| (Figs. 2 and 3). The magazine includes a plurality of vertically disposed stack guide bars 32 arranged around an opening 33 formed in a top plate 34 of a horizontal cover guideway 35 provided in a housing 36 secured to the main frame of the machine. The stack of covers in, the magazine extends through the opening 33 and rests upon the floor of the guideway 35. The inner end of the guideway terminates adjacent the sealing head D.

Individual covers B are picked off from the bottom of the stack by a slide bar 38 which is located in a groove 39 in the floor of the guideway 35. The slide bar is provided with a feed dog 4| which engages behind a cover and pushes it along the guideway when the bar is actuated, this being toward the left as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3. This bar is operated in any suitable manner in tim with the other moving parts of the machine.

A cover B fed along the guideway is received in a movable centering ring 45 which is disposed adjacent the inner or sealing head end of the guideway and below the sealing head D. The ring is formed with a depressed ledge 46 the top surface of which is slightly below the level of the guideway floor. The side of the ring adjacent the guideway 35 is open (Fig. 2).

Hence when a fed cover B reaches the inner end of the runway it passes through the open side of the centering ring and falls down upon the depressed ledge 45 where it is confined against lateral displacement. While the cover is thus retained within the ring the latter is shifted away from the inner end of the runway in a lateral direction to meet the incoming can A as hereinbefore described. For this purpose the ring is provided with an arm extension mounted on a vertically disposed pivot pin 52 carried in a boss 53 formed as a part of the machine frame.

The outer end of the arm extension 5| carries a cam roller 55 which operates in a cam groove 56 of a cam 51 mounted on a vertical main shaft 58. This shaft is journaled in a bearing 59 formed in the machine frame. The shaft is rotated in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine. The opposite side of the centering ring is formed with a tongue 62 which, when the ring moves, slides within a recess 63 formed in the guideway housing 36. The tongue is supported on a gib 64 secured to the housing.

Thus as the cam 57 rotates with its shaft 58, it first shifts the centering ring 45 and the cover B carried therein toward the left as viewed in Fig. 2 and into position over an incoming can A just as the latter is moving onto the lifter pad 2!. While the can is moving toward the center of the pad and simultaneously being lifted, the centering ring moves back (toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2) along with the can, the cover B being maintained in vertical alignment with the can.

Successive steps of this movement are best illustrated in the figures taken in the order of 4, 5, 3 and 6. Close inspection of these views shows how the can A moves up into engagement with the cover B as both can and cover move into the sealing station C. The can picks up its cover and carries it on up through the ring and into the sealing head D and thereupon advancement of the can ceases.

During this travel of the centering ring the cover B is held tightly in place on the ledge 46 and also after the cover is picked up by the can it is positively held down tight on the can. This clamping action is brought about by a laterally movable knockout device located within the sealing head D.

' The knockout includes a vertically disposed rod 1| (Fig. 1) having at its lower end an enlarged pad or head 72. The upper end of the 'rod is mounted in a universal joint 13 carried in a compression spring yielding unit 14. The yielding unit is secured to an arm Tl mounted on a vertical actuating rod 18 carried in an elongated sleeve bearing 19 secured in a bracket section 8| of the machine frame.

The lower end of the actuating rod '18 carries a pilot bracket 84 which slides on a pilot 85 secured in a bracket section 86 of the machine frame. The pilot bracket is provided with a cam roller 81 which operates in a cam groove 88 of a cam 89 on the main shaft 58.

Thus when a cover B is first fed into the centering ring 45 the cam 89 through its connection with th knockout rod H brings the knockout head 12 down into clamping engagement against the cover B under compression of the yielding unit 14. The cover is thus tightly held against the ring ledge 46. When the centering ring shi ts toward the incoming can A, the knockout rod moves bodily with the ring and maintains the pressure on the cover B. As the can moves up through the centering ring and into the sealing head D. the cam 89 draws the knockout rod up with the can while still maintaining a pressure on the cover.

The sealing head D which unites the cover to the can is preferably carried in a bearing 92 (Fig. 1) of a bracket 93 formed as a part of the bracket section 8| of the main frame. The head is rotated in any suitable manner, as for example, by application of suitable rotating power applied through a gear 94. Sealing or seaming rollers 95 provided on the head engage the flange parts of the assembled cover and can, as the head rotates and interfolds them into a suitable seam 96 (Figs. 3 and 6).

During the sealing operation the cover and can flange parts are backed up by a stationary chuck 98 which is located in the head D. This chuck fits down into the cover recess when the assembled cover and can are in the head. The chuck is secured to the lower end of a long sleeve [0| which surrounds the knockout rod II and which extends up through the sealing head. At its upperend the sleeve is threaded into an adjusting block I02 which is bolted to a bracket I03 carried on the upper end of the sleeve bearing 19.

After completion of the sealing operation, the knockout rod 1| operates to eject the closed can from the sealing head and pushes its upper end down through the centering ring while the lifter pad 2! descends to its original position flush with the top of the conveyor table I I. The cover now being smaller in diameter than before seaming, readily passes through the centering ring with ample clearance.

As the closed can approaches its lower position, a long feed dog l5, following the short dog I 4 of the conveyor chain previously described, comes into engagement with the can and sweeps it off the lifter pad onto the table. This long dog thereafter propels the can across the table to the discharge end and discharges it to any suitable place of deposit.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be undertood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may b made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a can closing machine, the combination of can feeding devices, cover feeding devices, a housing for said cover feeding devices including a runway along which the covers are individually fed, a movable centering ring in said housing adjacent an end of said runway and carried on a pivot pin adjacent the path of travel of the can for receiving a fed cover from said runway, said centering ring having a projecting tongue slidably supported in said housing, and a rotatable cam for shifting said centering ring toward a fed can to bring the cover carried therein into a centralized superimposed position relative to the moving can and for moving the centering ring and the cover carried therein back with the moving can while maintaining the cover in a centralized and superimposed position relative to can while the latter moves into sealing position.

2. In a can closing machine, the combination of can feeding devices for horizontally moving the cans to be closed, means for elevating a said can into closing position While it is being so moved horizontally, cover feeding devices, a cover centering ring cooperating with said cover feeding devices and movable relative to a fed can for receiving a cover and for holding it in superimposed position over said can while the can is being brought into can closing position, and means for reciprocating said centering ring horizontally first in one direction toward an entering can to be sealed and then in the opposite direction with and spaced above said can while the latter moves into position for sealing.

3. In a can closing machine, the combination of can feeding devices for horizontally moving the cans to be closed, devices for successively elevating said cans into sealing position while the same are being moved horizontally by said feeding devices, cover feeding devices, a cover centering ring cooperating with said cover feeding devices and movable relative to a fed can for receiving a cover and for holding it in superimposed position over said can while the can is being brought into sealing position by said feeding and elevating devices, means for horizontally reciprocating said centering ring first in one direction toward an entering can to be sealed and then in the opposite direction with and spaced above said can while the latter moves towards a position to be sealed, and a holding element engaging said cover and movable with said centering ring for retaining the cover in place on said ring.

- 4. In a can closing machine, the combination of can feeding devices for moving the cans to be closed, means for successively elevating said cans into sealing position while the same are being horizontally moved by said feeding devices, cover feeding devices, a movabl centering ring cooperating with said cover feeding devices and disposed adjacent the path of travel of the can for receiving a fed cover, instrumentalities for horizontally reciprocating said centering ring first in one direction toward an incoming fed can to bring the cover carried therein into a centralized superimposed position relative to the moving can and thereafter in the opposite direction to move said centering ring and the cover carried thereby with the moving can while maintaining the cover in a centralized and superimposed position relative to the can and while the can and cover are being brought into sealing position by said feeding devices and elevating means, and means for acuating said centering ring shifting instrumentalities.

5. In a can closing machine having a seaming head for uniting a cover with a can, the combination of feeding devices for moving filled cans to be closed, cover feeding devices, meansfor lifting the can into sealing position in said head, a centering ring disposed beneath said seaming head and adapted to receive a fed cover, and means for moving said centering ring horizontally after its reception of said cover first in one direction toward an incoming can for bringing the cover into a centralized superimposed position relative thereto and thereafter in the reverse direction in time with the travel of the can for maintaining the cover in alignment with and spaced above said can as the latter moves into position for sealing and while said can is being lifted into said sealing head, whereby said can may readily pick up the cover and carry it up into the sealing head without first coming to rest, thereby preventing spilling of the can contents.

6. In a can closing machine having a seaming head for uniting a cover with a can, the combination of feeding devices for moving filled cans to be closed, cover feeding devices, means for lifting the can into sealing position in said head, a centering ring disposed beneath said seaming head and adapted to receive a fed cover, means for moving said centering ring horizontally after its reception of said cover first in one direction toward an incoming can for bringing the cover into a centralized superimposed position relative thereto and thereafter in the reverse direction in time with the travel of the can for maintaining the cover in alignment with and spaced above said can as the latter moves into position for sealing and while said can is being lifted into said sealing head, whereby said can may readily pick up the cover and carry it up into th sealing head without first coming to rest, thereby preventing spilling of the can contents, a holding element disposed adjacent said sealing head and movable horizontally and vertically in timed relation with said centering ring, said holding element being engageable with said cover for retaining the same in position therein and further movable with the can for clamping the cover in position thereon before and during uniting of can and cover, and means for actuating said holding element for the purposes described.

NEILS P. BACH. 

